Marcus Lemonis, Entrepreneurship Keynote Speaker

CNBC business superstar, Marcus Lemonis is America’s doctor for small businesses. The charismatic serial entrepreneur and owner of the multi-billion dollar company, Camping World, shot to fame for his role in the reality series The Profit, in which he offers struggling small companies capital and expert advice in return for an ownership stake. Lemonis’ valuable advice, raw authenticity, and effortless talent for connecting with show participants has made The Profit CNBC’s top-rated show and spurred an upcoming spin-off The Partner.

Lemonis was born in war-torn Lebanon and adopted at the age of nine-months by a U.S. family. His family’s ownership of the largest Chevrolet dealership in Florida helped nurture his entrepreneurial spirit. Despite having a loving relationship with his parents, he had what he described as a “rough childhood,” dealing with an eating disorder as an adolescent, depression, and abuse from an extended family member. However, Lemonis claims that these struggles later helped him connect better with others, one of the key principles he attributes to any business’ success.

After a failed run for Congress, Lemonis decided that in order to grow he needed to look outside his family and put himself in a situation where others would be tough on him. He went to work at AutoNation, the country’s largest car dealer, and worked his way up to regional manager. With his small savings, he founded the company FreedomRoads, which set out to transform the RV industry, a sector in which innovation was long overdue. FreedomRoads grew and eventually merged with Camping World, and a few years later, Good Sam Enterprises, with Lemonis continually at the helm.

After appearing on Celebrity Apprentice and Secret Millionaire, Lemonis started The Profit as a means of reaching out to other underdogs in business. He receives no paycheck for appearing on the show and to date has poured over $35 million of his own money into struggling companies.